Rise
by BadTimesDontLast
Summary: AU In a world divided of immortals and humans, the Authority lead people as their slaves. Not every immortal however has joined the Authority. Many would actually much rather rebel against them. (Many wwe characters, follows Dean quite a bit)
1. Roman Empire

**You're probably asking yourself, "what's this? Why is this a thing? What are you even doing?" But I had gained some inspiration from WWE Immortals and thought why not tell a story of some fantasy/Science fiction? I'm really into superheroes and story arcs like that so I thought I'd pick some of that up from the game. It's not going to follow it** _ **at all**_ **so sorry, this is my own story kind of thing. I'm really just taking how they made their characters in this. So yeah. Enjoy!**

Astrid threw along the remnants of the intoxicating powder into the people turning about the wheel. As they breathed in the air, they coughed and sputtered about, trying to get away from it by stopping their duty to keep the cycle going.

"Did I tell any of you that you could _stop?"_ She asked dangerously, looking over them as she lowered the megaphone. With a vehemence, they shook their heads, trying to see through the fog that the powder created.

"They're already dying as it is and you decide you want to deprive them of breathing?" An english accent spoke from the side of her. When she turned, there stood none other than Wade, the other in charge of their respective district. All the other areas had different people in charge, and at times, she wished that she could have gotten stuck with at least the likes of Mizard or Stardust.

"It's a vaccine. There's a disease developing and mere mortals wouldn't be able to withstand it. If you had been listening to the Authority as you're supposed to, we have to issue this vaccine at least once a month and would you look at that," she pointed over to the calendar, smirking at the red circle on the day.

"That time of the month?" He had a smirk of his own, watching hers just drop as she snarled and dropped her hand. If Wade wasn't such a huge asset as he was, she would've made sure to have strangled him in his sleep. However, Astrid knew better. She knew of the steel implanted in his elbow. One hit with that and it was _all over._ As Achilles was invincible, so was Wade. Just in one part of his body. But he knew how to utilize that part well.

The sirens began to wail, sending the both of them to look across from where they stood. The screen that hung above them all had static forming before none other than Stephanie McMahon appeared on the screen.

"Alert, this is not a drill, alert. An immortal has escaped from prison. Constables of each district are to be on a search of the beast incarnate immediately," she kept on repeating it as the whole room imploded.

The people erupted and yelled at one another, their terror filled minds making them mumble in anguish. Astrid, calmly, manevered her megaphone to her lips, looking to Wade to give him a single nod. When he got the idea, he clicked his pen, a piercing high pitched sound hitting. Like that of a banshee's, the people reacted, holding their ears as they screamed, feeling that they would start to bleed if the noise held out any longer.

Foolish, foolish humans. Any noise really did mess with them and if they had heard the frequency that could hurt an _immortal's_ ears? Their heads would just damn near explode.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you need not to be alarmed. The beast incarnate will be obtained and withheld back in his prison in no time. What did the Authority promise all of you?" She asked, recieving no answer back as she arched an eyebrow.

"They promised you safety. If you fear dying at the hands of an immortal, are you saying that the Authority is incapable of keeping any of you safe?" And that's what caused a moaning reaction, people yelling no, _no, no._

"Then just trust the Authority. They all want what is _best_ for all of you. In return of your safety, you all work to keep the upper class striving and living in freedom. It's plain textbook. It's been this way for centuries and it will always be this way. _We_ will keep you safe. In fact, _I_ will take care of the beast myself. Mr. Barrett here will hold up the reigns while I am out. You all have _nothing_ to worry over," she concluded and just like that, there was cheers and chants. It's exactly what got them back to work as they simply accepted their fates. They would be safe as long as the Authority kept their promise to protect them.

Astrid dropped her megaphone to the side and moved away from Wade, grabbing onto the sleek vest to place over herself as he shook his head. "Are you mad? The beast is one of the most dangerous immortals alive and you're going to risk _your_ life to go after it?"

She didn't look at Wade once as she simply placed on her gloves, watching as the blue energy shifted inside of them. "Admit it to yourself, Wade, you don't give a damn about what happens to me. Better I than you to get destroyed, correct?"

He laughed. Wade laughs at the stupidest times. This happened to be one of them. Though, he knew what kind of power that Astrid had. Energy was a rare ability and it only didn't work if the source was hurt. Wade wondered if Astrid would even be able to hit the beast with energy in time. His own nose was severely damaged permanently from the last time he met such beast.

" _Correct._ Just try and take it easy out there. I'd hate to deliver bad news to the Authority that I need a new co-constable."

"Don't be so dramatic. Besides, I'm taking a team with me. If we do manage to find the beast, I'll have enough of a shield to protect me. Fair?" She asked as she placed on her second army green boot, looking at Wade in his tall form. Locking his jaw, he nodded in reaction.

"Fair… Good luck, Astrid. When do I send out a search team?" He asked quizzically. Going out there… it was a death sentence. _Especially_ if you happened to work for the Authority.

"Give me four months. If I don't return by then, either I am dead, or something's gone wrong," she warned. The reason for the obscenely long amount of time was because of how traveling was. There were only horses and boats. The boats you'd have to obtain from someone within the bizarres but that would run the risk of running into threats. Not everyone was exactly fond of the Authority.

"Four months, alright," they shook hands one final time, as if they were siblings as they silently sent one another respect. Down she descended on the wall, reaching the barren earth beneath.

* * *

"Look alive, men," she shouted to the team, all of them looking around as they came to a halt. Their horses merely stood still, trying to discover on their own what had made this happen. Astrid had a bad feeling about where they currently were. It was basically deserted really, no entities around other than her crew. If they were in any danger, they would've seen it coming from a mile away. Yet, nothing came as they slowly began to trot again.

They had been traveling for two days in total, having to stop to eat and sleep only a couple of times. It was the downside of having a team of mortals at your side. Astrid didn't mind, but they could've covered more ground if they weren't constantly hungry or thirsty. Even the horses had their own sides of complete immortality so the animals clearly weren't the problem.

A horse's neigh was what triggered the next halt. It would've been normal, but Astrid had to consider the fact that the neigh didn't come from _any_ of their own. It was a more powerful one, and the trotting was a dire rumble that left her eyes widening when she realized something was coming right for them.

"Ready your weapons," she exclaimed, jumping off the horse as she looked around. There was _nothing_ around them however. It was almost as if her ears were playing tricks on her.

The men had stepped off their horses, timorously raising their hammers and saws as they tried to hold still. But really, they could easily die there in that moment. It's the reason fear had ran deeply in their veins, looking around as they tried to calm down their breathing. Buttons were pressed at the sides of their helmets, causing the glass of their headgear to come up. Again they saw nothing and now they didn't hear anything.

That's when it happened, a roar came from the side, earning all of their attention as they yelled. A warrior emerged, helmet of a Spartan on his head as he collided with them all in a blaze of fury.

"Centurion, the way to defeat one is to stay away from the blade and aim for—" before she could finish her sentence, he had already cut the heads off of most of the men. In terror, she used her energy to surge through the man, but he raised up the round shield, blinking in surprise at her.

"You're an _immortal,"_ he snarled, running for her. A chain was brought from his belt, snapping once before it wrapped around her. Astrid struggled with everything that she had, but nothing worked as she was placed onto the horse of the Centurion.

They rode off this way, dirt and dust building behind them as they rode off further into the desert. Astrid tried to free herself and spewed every profanity she could think of, but the Centurion merely ignored her. It was as if his helmet was making him deaf with how long she managed to yell and call for help, but with where they were, if help came, they'd find she was apart of the Authority and they'd run.

"Are you going to ignore me for all eternity, Centurion?" She asked after hours of sitting. The chain took away movement of her hands, making her unable to use her energy. It didn't help that his shield seemed to really reflect any of it so escaping was kind of far fetched at this point.

"My name is Roman Reigns," he answered, breaking his oath of silence as he kept his head forward, looking out.

"Roman Reigns… why does that sound familiar," she said more to herself than anything. Then, it hit her.

"Wait… _the_ Roman Reigns? The same Roman Reigns that was once destined for greatness at the hands of the Authority but—"

"Yes. That Roman Reigns. I see someone's been reading up on their history," he replied.

"You betrayed them… you left them and the people turned their backs on you. So you became something evil… something wicked—"

"And by the sounds of your words here, you've clearly read the wrong history books. If you must know, I refused to live within the corruption of the Authority and then they sold me out to be the enemy. The people turned on me because of the Authority, but I don't expect a Power Plant to understand that."

Astrid cringed at her assigned name. It's what she was classified as and in simpler times, Power Plants were once scattered about. That was until they were faced with the stone men.. The ones that energy would only be reflected off.

"The Authority is pure. They've kept people alive—"

"By making them slaves so they could live the good life while capturing and torturing anyone who dares to defy them?" He snapped at her, making her sigh and shake her head.

"You're looking at it the wrong way, Roman," she chastised with a click of her teeth. It made him scoff as he shook his head.

"It's you who's been blinded," he corrected her, immediately making her struggle once more.

"Can you let me go? Or kill me?"

"I could easily break you like a toothpick, but I need you to do something for me first," he said. "Then, I will let you go."

"What could I possibly do to help the great Roman Reigns?" Astrid questioned, trying to get more comfortable. Roman finally turned his head, letting his gray eyes find hers.

"Free my _brother."_


	2. Chained Lunatic

Because of the lack of sleep that Astrid had before whenever she was with her crew, when the sky darkened behind Roman's trotting horse, she felt herself give easily into slumber. Living forever didn't necessarily mean that sleeping was just banned of the regime, but it still took a lot to tire people like her out. Roman was a Centurion, a commander of the ancient Roman army who could never disrobe of his armor unless family had allowed him to. Considering the timeline, Astrid recalled how the army was wiped out, leaving Roman as the only special one that the Authority could exploit. According to legend, the Authority saw Roman as a threat if he was their enemy. Roman Reigns was the warrior that was of a powerhouse. The abilities that Centurions had were increased speed and stamina, more so than the average human. It was the kind of ability that should have been easily vanquished when it came to battle, but the problem was how the Centurions strategized, using every mean of war in their arsenal to have their way. They usually did have their way too, constantly ensuring that the battle would turn in their favor.

Only one Centurion was an army on its own. A thousand of them? They could only be defeated by a thousand other immortals and while Astrid had the power to organize such an army, she was still trapped by his chain. The Centurions of course had their tools, one of them being the chain that held a variety of powers, making sure that they couldn't be used. Back in the day, the shields were created for Power Plants, Light Gods, Shadow Masters, and so much more. The second that she saw this shield at his side was the second she should have known that she was going to easily be defeated by him. Yet, she didn't think about the last Centurion left in existence, she just thought she needed to get rid of him right away. If the Authority knew that Roman was still alive, there would be some serious hell to pay. All she needed to do was somehow get away, tell the information she knew, and Roman was as good as locked up as the beast incarnate once was.

She was praying to God however that they wouldn't be found by the beast who was currently roaming free.

Her slumber was ended when she was dropped off the tall horse straight into the cement of the floor, groaning loudly as she let her eyes slowly come open. _Shit_ , she had no idea where the hell she was as she took in the dark surroundings. It could've been Death Valley, but there was too much stone and dust still in the air for it to be that location. She had studied map after map growing up, but none of them could tell her where she was. The area was too _vague_ to decipher.

"If you think about running away, there's a code you must type in, so good luck with that," Roman rumbled from behind her, "also, if you're trying to figure out where we are, you won't be able to," he warned cautiously. It was quite obvious why he did that. He knew that the Authority was unaware of his life still being in tact, so trying to process a place that was clearly never found was going to be a difficult experience. The art of war. _The art of war._

"Can we just get this over with so I can get the hell out of here?" She snapped at Roman, making his eyebrows crease as his jaw tightened. Most of his facial structure was covered by his helmet, making it difficult to gauge his emotions. Pictures in old textbooks usually did just show him with his helmet on, many of them unable to capture his face. It was the reason she couldn't recognize him since she was fully aware that the only people who saw Roman's face were the rest of the dead Centurions and of course, the creators of the Authority themselves.

"He's over here," he spoke, gesturing for Astrid to follow with his hand as he moved on through the stone walls. She stayed close to him, noticing the different glowing areas coming off of the concrete. They must've had some kind of charm spells on them for the purpose of keeping people out. In her case, keeping people _in._

Her heart began to race as a blackness surrounded the man whose arms were raised at his sides, chains wound about his forearms and biceps. His wrists were clearly impaled with cuff lining, dried blood on them from where the man tried to escape or there was nails digging into his skin to ensure it wasn't possible. Astrid expected to see another Centurion caged up at least, but no, this was something different. The blackness was some kind of aura, causing him to twitch his head back and forth, eyes closed tightly as his eyebrows were knitting together. His auburn hair was a mop on his head, tangled and disheveled with strands falling over his eyelids. His mask covered basically all of his face, leaving only his eyes free, but he was anything but. Freedom didn't seem to be something that this guy had in a really _really_ long time and that made Astrid take a single step forward. The sound of her boot echoed, making the man's head tilt towards the noise like a wolf, but even then, he didn't struggle against his restraints, he just sat there on his knees.

His shirt was tight against his chest, dark purple with the letters _DA_ written on one of his pecs, ripped and tattered as if he had fought with an animal. But, he was clearly the actual animal, mask over his face providing proof that he was as deranged as he looked. The jeans on his legs matched his shirt, dark navy blue yet rips and tears were evident at the knees, probably from his fighting and attempts to move. Even his ankles had cuffed lining, chains wrapped about his denim calves away from what looked to be combat boots. If this was Roman's brother, she wondered what the rest of his family looked like and if they all had some form of rabies. The Authority taught her how to not feel, how to not feel sympathy for anyone that was in her way. Pity was weakness, but seeing this gruesome sight was making her feel sick in her stomach. Nausea induced, she kept her eyes on the torn down piece of absolute masculinity, muscles exposed with scars protruding.

"This is your brother?" She asked with hesitance, unable to look at Roman. He removed his helmet in respect, nodding his head as his hair was freed. Raven strands fell over his face, his hand pushing them away as he moved next to her.

"Not by blood, but by choice," he whispered, bowing his head as he stared at Astrid.

"What happened…" she wanted to complete her sentence with 'to him' but it died on her lips as she just stared forward.

"I wasn't the only one that the Authority found to be… _special_. He was another one of their interests. We became fast friends… and then _it_ happened. I realized what the fuck we were in too late and after it was done, he was so distorted and angry at the world that they did _this_ to him. They experimented on him. Tried to figure out what the hell his powers originated from and why they had never seen anything like him. They couldn't classify him so… no one spoke of him. When I was finally able to get out, I took him with me, chains, wall, and all… I haven't been able to get him out since," he said, hand coming to hold his own hair. His eyes clenched. A part of Roman blamed himself for what had been done, but he couldn't reverse what happened.

"You broke free of the authority decades ago," she scoffed incredulously, crossing her arms as she looked at him.

"Yeah. He's been chained up this way for _decades_. Just… look, every immortal that I've found hasn't been able to help me. But you? Energy can break steel. That's what his chains are made of. There are knives that have sunk into his flesh, it's why I can't try breaking them without killing him," Roman pleaded, looking to his brother who was twitching. He always twitched. There was too many inner demons…

"Does it eat?" She asked, making Roman roll his eyes. Those gray orbs really did glow now, chiseled face pulling into an annoyed expression.

"No. _He_ doesn't eat. He doesn't talk either. He's an immortal. Just like you and just like me," he pointed to his own chest.

"The muzzle is clearly making it difficult to speak, though. It should have that taken off first if you want to make any progress," she responded cooly.

" _He_ _is not an it. He has a name_. His name is Dean. Dean Ambrose," Roman ground his teeth, already having had enough of Astrid and her little banter. She looked over to Dean as Roman continued.

"Besides… he doesn't let me touch him. He goes… a bit… wild, if I go near him. Makes it harder to try and help him," he concluded, the intricate lines of his tattooed arms shining nicely in the glowing room as they folded tighter.

Rolling her eyes, Astrid ceased the conversation and stepped closer to Dean. The man was in a severe condition, possibly an artificial immortal, and chained to top it off. If anything, Roman was being dramatic and trying to scare her. Dean's eyelids slowly came open, pale blue being unveiled, causing her own orbs to soften when met with his suffering.

"Astrid… I wouldn't—" Roman was cut off as her hand raised for silence, getting closer to Dean.

Dean just stared at her, his eyebrows returning to their normal place instead of being cringed together, head straight. The twitching came to a halt as she got to him, violet hair being tucked away behind her ear as she studied his face for a moment. He looked peaceful now, settling against the wall. The two didn't know jack shit about each other, giving this every right to be awkward. Yet it wasn't awkward at all, it just sent an eletric current up both of their spines, the feeling foreign to Dean.

And so… he panicked.

Scaring the living hell out of her, Dean rose erect, standing over six feet tall, making her shrink away in her own five foot frame as his cranium tilted to the right. He pulled against his cuffs, trying to grab her, a wild look crossing his orbs of blue, making her shriek as she jumped back. In a fit of her terror, she sent blue matching energy from her hands and hit Dean with every ounce of it she had. His aura of black cowered away and muffled yells of rasp filled the room. Dean's head fell back as he pulled in pain on the chains, falling straight down to his knees, scraping them on the floor. He pulled harder, hands falling onto the floor and impossibly, his fingers dug into the concrete, breaking the cement much to her terror. Eyes flew closed as the aura came back, two shadowed entities shrieking themselves behind him as they began to seperate, growing in size up against the wall. It was _pure evil_ to watch as she sent more energy, trying to keep herself from running away from the trouble.

"Stop! You're fucking _killing_ him," Roman yelled, tackling her down to the floor. They hit with a thud, the energy stopping in its flowing waves, causing Dean to slump down, chains stopping his face from hitting the ground. She writhed underneath the large Centurion as he tied her hands off with the chain from earlier, seperating from her in deep panting breaths as he looked at Dean. Astrid tried to calm her heart rate as she did the same, watching as the man didn't even look like he was breathing. He was lifeless.

"Dean…?" Roman called, but there obviously was no answer.

The three stayed that way for what felt like days on end until Dean finally started twitching again much to Roman's relief. Roman grabbed Astrid by her shoulders, raising her to her feet.

"What the hell was that? I told you not to get near him and you go and do that? You almost killed him!" He scolded her, death glare hidden in his eyes as he clenched his teeth.

"I am not helping you or that… that… that _thing_. What the fuck is he? I felt my brain collapsing in on itself for two seconds. I didn't know _how else_ to react," she breathed, shaking her head. "I'd rather rot in here than let that _thing_ free," she yelled, marching straight out of the room with Roman following closely behind, trying to argue. The scariest part of her departure was the blue eyes she felt burning into her back.

The rest of the night had been serene as Roman showed Astrid to her bed made of stone just as the walls were. She didn't exactly care since she wanted to continue the sleep she had begun on the ride over to whatever this hell was.

Meeting Dean was not something that she had expected. Astrid, as a constable, had no choice but to research every power that there was, but not even Voodoo could explain what the hell that was that Dean was starting to do _even in chains_. If she was in chains, she couldn't use any of her powers whatsoever. Same went for Centurions as well as many many other immortals in their universe. Whatever it was, it was clear that Roman wasn't lying about the Authority taking some kind of interest in the man. It donned on her forcefully that Dean was actually probably experimented on and whatever was going on, he didn't know how the hell to control it. In a way, she felt bad for him, having to stay that way for decades was nerve wracking. She probably would've done the same thing if she was him. But Astrid was a power plant, so maybe she wouldn't have been so rude to someone who was just trying to help out. Maybe this was just her karma for planning to escape.

Though, she knew now that she couldn't let Dean out. If she left with this guy loose, the Authority would have quite the handful to deal with in both of these guys. If the powers of one of them couldn't be explained, then trying to defeat them was going to be a difficult task. It meant chaos for everyone and she really didn't want that to happen.

"Astrid," Roman called as alarms began to sound throughout the walls. It echoed as she yawned and got out of bed, leaving her room with an exasperated _what_ coming off of her lips.

"Oh no," he said, eyes widening when he saw her. When the alarm had started to go off, he assumed that Astrid was trying to escape. Now that he saw her, he knew that there was for sure an intruder.

"Quick, get down," he warned, placing his helmet over his head as he began to tread lightly into the main point of the area. She followed behind, wondering what the hell was going on as she tried to see through the sleep that was still burying in her eyes. There was nothing around, more light being evident in the area, making it easier to see. There were no signs of infiltration in Astrid's eyes, but Roman saw it from a mile away.

"What the fuck—" was all she let out before the firing began, making them duck behind Roman's shield, peering over it. The four men came out of their hiding, dressed in colorful eye-catching outfits as they pranced around. A Party bot, Perfectionist, Wailer, and Believer stood before them. _Crap_.

Immortals weren't _all_ super that people could look up to in awe. Some were more powerful than others. The ones with the lesser powers were known as _outcasts_ and here, four outcasts stood before them. Easily defeatable alone, but if they were in a pack, then people were screwed. It was the numbers game really, four of them taking on two.

"Axel, Adam, Heath, and Bo found me… I sort of stole some of their stuff the last time we ran into each other," Roman explained to Astrid as they looked on.

Wailers weren't as powerful as Banshee Knights, but they sure did pack a hell of a sound. The red head began to screech, sending both of Roman and Astrid's hands to their ears, eyes shutting tightly. His shield was dropped as the Perfectionist raised his bow and arrow, shooting the both of them. The arrow heads pierced into their skin, having them both fall back in pain. Damn Perfectionists were classified as outcasts when they had superior eye sight. It didn't help any when no weapons were around, but with weapons like this guy currently had? They were screwed. Roman pulled the arrows from their skin and threw them back, easily dodged as the Party bot began to shake the area with its own booming sound. It was difficult to stand, the Believer increasing their powers as he sent his own energy forward to them.

Believers didn't have destroying energy as Power Plants did. They had energy that could enhance any ability and while this may sound awesome, it only worked on three at a time. Which was being used on the three currently attacking both Roman and Astrid. Their attacks really were effective, causing them to collapse and fall as he tried to hold off and grab at his shield.

"They're outnumbering us, I don't know if we could take them," Roman confessed as he dodged an arrow, covering his ears as the Wailer sang.

"How did you even take from them?" She yelled above the noise, hoping he heard.

"I had my horse get me out of there," he yelled back, already getting into the fight by moving on in, grabbing his sword. He fought with the Perfectionist as the Wailer's sound increased in volume, the Party bot causing the ground to be even more unstable than it already was. _Unstable…_

"That's it," Astrid said to herself, sending energy flying that was bounced off of the Believer's own.

Astrid ran from where she was, going straight to the room where she had met Dean the night before. He was sitting there, looking up at her upon her entrance.

"Look, I don't fucking like you, but Roman's going to die and so will I if I don't do this…" she spoke in reluctance, raising her hands as she aimed at Dean. He didn't even flinch as he watched her.

The energy was sent from her hands, surging through the chains and into the cuffs. It located the tips of the knives, pushing them out of his skin, Dean wincing in pain as he sat back. Once the knives were out of his wrists and ankles, she waved both of her hands in one motion, breaking both the cuffs and chains at once in a fit of mere seconds. Dean had never felt this kind of relief in years and as soon as he was free, he moved quickly out of the room in search of Roman, not taking another look towards Astrid.

She was dumbfounded, but as she left the room, she saw as those two shadows left from him, pummeling in the Believer and the Party bot as he handled the Perfectionist. With such leverage and great surprise, Roman used his sword to behead the Wailer with a single slice, looking towards a now freed Dean as he pulverized all three men. They were left in bloody messes, collapsing down into the floor.

It was as if a massacre occurred, the shadows coming back into Dean as he raised his hand on his forehead. Roman stood back, looking at him. He hadn't seen that in almost a _century_ and now that he had seen it again, he still couldn't believe it. Before the incident had occurred, Dean just had this dark aura that surrounded him constantly. After the incident, Dean was able to mold this aura into those shadows that caused destruction. It caused Roman to really wonder what Dean was actually capable of. Roman was a plan kind of guy and that was because of his notorious past with war and different battles that had to ensue in order for him to gain this knowledge. Roman had seen it all, but he had never seen anyhing like Dean and the Authority was not merciful when they found their own use in him. The three of them… the two of them now, didn't even see it coming.

Dean rolled his neck back and forth, the once knives that impaled him there in that area left their marks, but there wasn't any visible cuts. There was just scars. Maybe he was also a healer? It popped in several areas as did his arms as he outstreched them, veins still protruding in every which rugged way that made Astrid gulp back. What this guy needed was a straight jacket. Chains were surely not the way to go and to think that the Authority had the nerve of doing that made her heart start to sink. They clearly had a lot of things that they had done. But what more? What more could they have possibly tainted? Why didn't she feel bad for it?

Dean suddenly turned his head to look at her in a blaze of a second, she was against the wall, the dark aura blocking them and coming around them. "Dean!" Roman yelled, but she couldn't hear anything else as they were encased in a pitch black darkness, the only thing to be seen was him in front of her as he held his hand tightly at her throat. Astrid couldn't breathe, and not because his grip was tightening. It wasn't because of his large body crushing her small frame either.

Those once blue eyes were… black… but not at the iris. They were empty. Fully shining in darkness, a mere glint coating them. She would've called him a demon if she had the ability to speak. As she stared into the empty darkness of his eyes, Astrid saw her memories start to go by all at once, picture after picture becoming ruined. Her happy childhood was filled with rage… her father throwing glass bottles at her… her mother burning cigarettes into her… her brother… she was living someone else's life. Not Dean's, but hers… with many altercations, causing her head to shake.

 _Your fault. Your fault. Your fault._

She heard voices filling her head, whispering. It was her own voice, different things hitting her eardrums. She tried to kick her feet, but she just couldn't. Everything was dropping including her heart rate. The friendly times with Wade turned into stranglings, abuse coming from the artificial immortal. She was… She was going _insane_ , slowly surrendering to the darkness. Holy shit, she was actually _dying_.

"What are you…" Dean allowed her to whisper as she looked at his eyes. They stayed that way as he meddled fully with all of her memories. He knew exactly what he was doing to her and she didn't know what to do. Her energy wasn't even working at this point. Anything that was tried, it was captured by dark, thrown away, suffocated just like she was being. She was hoping that this was just a bad nightmare, closing her eyes back and forth to try and make this to be a dream that she could wake up from, but to her own dismay, she wasn't waking up at all.

"A _lunatic."_


	3. Underground Underdog

_**Every man dies, not every man lives.**_

Astrid shot up from where she was sleeping, grasping her neck as she looked around the dim room. Blinking at her surroundings, she slowly realized where she was, bare feet hitting the floor. That was odd; she didn't recall taking off any of her clothes, but all she was dressed in was an oversized jacket, military issued that hung to her knees. Despite her overwhelming feeling of being naked, she grasped her aching head, walking out of the room to see Roman and Dean standing across from one another.

"What the hell happened to me?" She asked grimly, catching Roman's gaze as Dean started to pace back and forth. He looked so much better than when he was originally chained up. For one, he wasn't straining against cuffs. Though, he still had the damn bronze mask on, resemblance close to that of an asylum's muzzle. Did she imagine him speaking?

 _A Lunatic._

Bringing her violet hair to the side, she awaited their explanations, but it was only Roman who stayed staring at Dean, jaw tight. It was odd seeing him without his head gear. It was probably because he was in the presence of Dean, someone Roman truly considered family.

"Dean used his abilities on you and you've been asleep for a week," Roman responded, causing Astrid to choke on her own breath.

 _She lost one week of her life sleeping?_

"Uh… what?"

"You've been asleep for a week," Roman said again, not tearing his eyes away from Dean who was still moving back and forth.

"That's not right. _A week?_ Because of that fucking _thing?"_ Astrid lost her cool too easily and it stopped Dean from his pacing, back meeting the wall again. Tremors slipped through her and she remembered what happened.

When she was dying the week before and going straight into utter insanity, Roman had used his sword to break through the darkness, pushing Dean off of her. Her memories went to work in fixing themselves, the damage that Dean had done as she found herself going unconscious. She couldn't exactly explain why she was close to being naked, but as she was lifted by the throat inches off of the floor, that was the least of her worries.

"Dean, she fucking saved you. Let her go," Roman warned with purpose, causing Dean to slowly back away and roll his neck. His shoulders did the same, mimicking the action as he looked to Roman.

"If she calls me _thing_ one more time…" a raspy voice rang through the room that sounded familiar to Astrid and she knew that she hadn't just imagined Dean talk. No, he really did speak to her. It was muffled and strangled really, but she could blame that on the mask, a certain deepness to it making it sound at least human.

"She won't, because she's leaving," Roman finally looked at her, gesturing towards her clothes which were hanging off the stones.

"You undressed me or did…" she stopped herself from calling Dean a thing again and simply pointing. She was hoping that she didn't have to face that kind of image. She was hoping for the former rather than the latter.

"I did. Don't worry, I didn't do it for a show. I did it just to wash up your clothes. I thought you were dead, but Dean explained to me that you were going to be fine since I stopped him before he could do _permanent_ damage," he looked at Dean in disappointment, head shaking. Dean merely rolled his eyes, crossing his arms against the tight shirt that hugged his pecs.

"Why are you even letting her leave? I told you what I saw in her head. She goes, we are going to be captured. You as commando and me as their lab rat _again_. Do you seriously want that? What if _he's_ there? I swear, I will fuck up everyone's brains if he is and—"

" _Dean."_ Roman's voice cut through harshly, silence filling the room as the two locked eyes.

"I made her a deal. She frees you and she goes. I'm a man of my word. Forget what you saw," Roman added, causing Dean to shake his head back and forth.

"How noble of you. I should really just be thanking the outcasts that invaded here because she wasn't going to do shit to help me if it meant she was going to die," Dean clarified, looking to Astrid with his own jaw locking and tightening. The man clearly had an anger problem that he didn't know how the hell to control. Maybe Astrid would put in a bad word for him and just have the Authority kill him instead rather than do him good of keeping him all wrapped up like a prisoner.

"Enough. End of discussion. Astrid goes free," Roman replied as she went towards him, pulling pants on without removing the military jacket. She wondered where the jacket even came from in the first place.

"Fuck it I guess. Who cares if we get some Authority on our asses, right? Who cares if they tie me up like it's some kind of kink and use you to lead their armies of cocksucking jackasses," Dean muttered, heading towards the door. He already started to enter the code, back turned enough so that Astrid was able to remove the jacket and get the rest of her clothes on. Once she was in full uniform, Dean was already out, causing Roman to be left behind with the now dressed Astrid.

"You really consider _that_ to be your brother?" She asked as she looked at the side of Roman's face. He only sighed before nodding his head.

"I do. He's always been a handful… he's not perfect by any means, but he's the only person in this world that I trust. That's _still alive_ anyway. He's all I got. It's been forever since I've heard him talk, so if it's along the lines of _cocksucking jackasses_ I'm just going to have to deal with it since it's been too long for me to tell him to shut the hell up," Roman said, hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. She just nodded her head, wondering what she would do if a friend like Wade, someone she knew all her life, went mute for decades, then started to chat it up again. Suddenly his quip about the time of the month made her laugh inwards to herself.

They both walked out together, but they had to duck to where Dean was as they overlooked the people crossing along. It was the League, or at least part of it. Alberto and Rusev both looked around, examining the area as Dean clamped a hand down on Astrid's mouth. She was friends with the both of them, seriously considering screaming, but Dean just held her tight against his body as Roman tactfully rolled to the other side of the rocks to get a better look.

"I saw them in your memories," Dean whispered lowly in her ear as they sat immensely still.

"Make one sound and Roman and I are as good as _dead_. But before they get to us, I'll snap your neck. _So. Shut. Up."_ He warned, holding her with his great pressure increasing. He had some great strength much like Roman did. He could easily just crush her just like Roman could. Those facts made her stay silent, watching as Rusev and Alberto disappeared away.

When the coast was clear, all three emerged from where they were, Astrid pushing Dean by the chest away from her as she stared daggers into his eyes.

"What the fuck is your problem?" She asked him, heat boiling in her as she looked at him. Dean tapped his fingers on his collarbone, looking to Roman as he tried to keep his temper in check.

"The fuck is my problem? I saw what's in that pretty little head of yours. Everything. All of it. I'm pretty sure I know you better than you ever will. And I _know_ that those two were your friends. It leads me to believe that once you're gone, you're going to send the damn calvary after Ro' and I," he barked down at her, getting closer to her body. His towering size would've made her shrink away, but she was too pissed off to cower. "I won't go back to that shit. I just got out. Roman's barely even free and I won't let you take that away from either of us," Dean finished, making her blink. The damn bastard knew her every thought. Well, up to the point of last week. Which was still her entire life.

"... He's right," Roman spoke, stepping towards them. Their heads snapped, surprised that he would even say that.

"Astrid… I barely know you. I know that you work for the Authority and I know that you are a Power Plant. That's pretty much it… Dean… however, he's got some weird abilities. Just by all of that, he knows every thought you've ever had, every experience you've had, and every dream… if he says that I can't trust you.. Well…" Roman trailed off, shaking his head to make it clear. Oh, it was limpidly clear now that she wasn't going anywhere. It made her head pound with fury. Even if she did feel like she was hit by a truck, she tried to gain composure.

"You're going to trust this… this _Lunatic_? He's been sitting in chains for decades, of course he's going to be paranoid," she spoke as she gestured towards Dean. She didn't see it, nor did Roman, but under that mask, Dean was smirking. He was smirking because she just gave herself away.

"I never told you what he was finally classified as," Roman followed up, hand coming up to trace his chin once he caught onto what she said pretty early. _Shit_.

"You remember _everything_ don't you? He told you he was a Lunatic. After he got inside of your head, right?" Roman asked, watching as her face went impassive. She gave it all away too easily all at once and it made her skin crawl as she looked back and forth at the two men, basically defeated. Again, the chain was at her wrists.

"Oh Astrid, you aren't going _anywhere,_ " Dean spoke up, arm coming to rest at her shoulder.

Roman, appalled the situation, went back in the area of his blocked off stone, clearly to retrieve his helmet as well as his sword and shield. Dean stayed with Astrid, leaning in close enough so he could make sure not even Hawk ears could catch what he was saying to her.

"I know about the Beast. Haven't heard about him in ages. Help us and I'll help you," Dean surprised her with his words. She looked at him in confusement, but he merely nodded his head, eyes completely serious. If she had been able to see the rest of his face, she was sure that there was seriousness that lied there too. However, there wasn't anything else that she could exactly trust in those eyes of his. She just wondered what he meant by helping her. Also, she wondered what he meant by not having heard of the Beast in ages. The Conqueror was constantly regarded as an unstoppable force, but how could Dean possibly know about him? Well, the man was surely around to see the other Centurions, but how much longer was this Lunatic alive?

It made her question whether or not there was more Lunatics. If there was, that could cause quite the problem since the dark aura that followed was trouble. It was a great adversity since fighting one lunatic meant fighting two others alongside him. Several Lunatics, all multiplied by three and they had an army that could be unstoppable, immovable itself. Astrid didn't know what terrified her more. The fact that she knew very little about Dean Ambrose…

Or the fact that he knew _everything_ about her.

* * *

Dean had ripped the sleeves from Astrid's sweater since they had Authority logos plastered across. That would have been bad since they were currently trotting on horses across the bazaar of NXT, the marketplace expanding closely to the bazaar of RAW as Roman and Dean browsed throughout the groceries. The different items that were laid out caught Astrid's curiosity, her eyes roaming back and forth as she tried to keep her gaze on one thing. But alas, with all the different faces and regular humans, she felt really out of place not telling them what to do.

As if Dean read her mind, he let his horse come up to hers, talking loud enough only for her to hear. "I know, I _know_. Must be awkward settling into normal life when you made a living out of whipping innocents," he chastised, making her feel worse. Scoffing, she turned her head away from him, almost falling from her horse as they came to a forceful stop.

Dean, amused, stepped off his horse as did Roman, looking towards the man in the middle of the entire thing, shop open completely to head on inside. Confused as to why there wasn't a regular owner just standing outside at the stand like everyone else, she followed them down the stairs, straight to the underground area.

There was much more trinkets and different things around. A man with an interesting hat emerged, dressed in normal clothes, but Astrid felt something off about him for some reason. The ginger scratched his beard for a moment as he looked at both Dean and Roman, chuckling before he ran straight at Roman and hugged him.

Astrid blinked as she watched the red head bump fists with Dean, his smile coming through as he looked at the two. "Well, well, well… Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns in the flesh. And in my shop? It's been more than a _century,_ boys. Where's—"

Before he could finish his sentence Roman cut him off, shaking his head. "No longer with us. Anyways, it's great to see you again, man. Anything change since we've been gone?"

"Not really. Things are still… _generic_ if you know what I mean. But in the best of ways," he winked, looking at Astrid with a raise of his eyebrow. "And who is this lovely young lady?" He asked with an amiable attitude.

"If you must know Mr. Underdog from the Underground, this is Astrid. Astrid, this is Sami Zayn," Dean said, gesturing between the two back and forth. Sami shook her hand and then it hit her, eyes widening as she spoke slowly.

"The Generic One?"

"I'll have you know that Sami Zayn and _El Generico_ are not the same person. No. No. No. It's just me. Sami. And I'm happy to be here," he said, smile still evident. He had one of those smiles that was awfully contagious. Yet in its own way, its own life loving way, it had its own sadness to it. Astrid just wished she knew what he was sad about.

He shouldn't really have been sad about anything. El Generico had powers that were anything but. The Generic ones had enhanced abilities, which included flight and Helluva kicks and punches. To be in the presence of one was a great honor. Especially unmasked. But they always did have a problem with identity and mask. That or they simply saw themselves as two different people.

"What brings you all here after all these years," he asked, moving over to bring a cloth into a vase, cleaning it about.

"Do you remember that little… insubordination of a revolt that we spoke about? That idea of insurrection that we all talked about quite a bit?" Dean cautiously questioned, watching as Sami stiffened where he stood, his actions of cleaning the glass halting as he remained still. It's like Dean froze Sami and he didn't even lay a hand on him.

"I haven't thought about it in over a century. The _last_ time I saw either of you. The _last_ time I saw…" and suddenly, the friendly demeanor on Sami's face had shifted, his sigh coming through as he put his vase down slowly. Reliving those days… the _good_ old days hurt quite a bit considering everything that happened.

"Hey, we know what that's like, Sami," Roman said, trying to lighten the mood, but he failed as Dean dropped his head. There was too much scarrings even underneath the real cicatrices.

"We know what it's like to be betrayed. Trust us on that. But we need you. If any of this… if the plan that we talked about over a damn century ago works… it'll _all_ be worth it. All the fighting, all the people that we've lost, _all of it,_ would be worth it," Roman stated.

Astrid had no idea what the hell they were talking about with all of this, but she was really intrigued. Also very much afraid.

"But at what cost? It's been years and I've made a life for myself being… happy. Actually happy with no wars, no battles, just going about my life, and then you two come here and want it all to turn at the snap of your fingers? I'm sorry, guys, but I can't do that. I don't know how many more people I have to lose to have freedom," Sami elaborated, running a hand over his face as he took in a deep breath through his nostrils.

Dean… he grabbed Sami by the collar of his shirt, holding him closely as he furrowed his eyebrows. Sami showed no fear, staring into the pale blue eyes that found his own.

"I have lost everything that I have ever cared about so don't you dare pull that shit about losing people to have freedom. I spent almost a century in chains, Zayn. A. Fucking. Century. I'm not joking about this. This is the real deal. Either you're in, or you're out. Either you fight, or you don't. It's your choice. Just make sure it's the right one," he concluded letting go of the collar before he went up the stairs. Roman let out a deep breath, looking at Sami who tried to smile it off. Sami always did…

"Just… think about it, man. We'll meet where we all agreed at Mania. A year from today. If you're there, it would make a _helluva_ difference," Roman let out, descending up the steps without another look down.

Astrid looked at Sami, feeling this rush of sympathy to hug him with whatever was bringing him pain. Yet she kept her boundaries, watching as he looked at her, offering his best _I'm okay_ smile.

"Watch out for Dean, yeah? I see he's still got an anger problem. He's always been so angry at the world," he clarified at Astrid's expression. He smoothed a hand over his shirt as he continued. "Either you let anger consume you, or you let yourself be happy," he finished, nodding his head towards Astrid. She did the same, moving up the stairs with a final wave goodbye.

From the area, she raised her head, feeling a smile come about that didn't last for long when she saw something hit at the building. People gasped in surprise, moving slowly as the mutlitude gathered around. Dean and Roman instinctively moved towards it, getting through the crowds of people as even Sami came up in question to see. The commotion must've been heard even from where he was.

Astrid followed suit, moving to where Dean and Roman stood. Roman kneeled, lifting the man of the purple robe from the ground. He was sputtering blood, coughing in defeat as he looked back and forth at Dean and Roman's faces. Well, most of their faces since Roman's helmet covered some and Dean's mask covered most.

"Adrian… is… is that you?" Roman asked incredulously, trying to ignore the people who were gathered around. Sami managed to get through, eyes shutting when he recognized his friend Neville, close to death before his very eyes.

"Roman… Dean? Sami…" he coughed, eyes bloodshot as he looked back and forth between all of them. It was a sad sight to see and Astrid got a peek of the logo that beset itself on the robe of his. He was immune to gravity… The man that Gravity forgot. Another she had read briefly about in her studies. Another _legend_. Another _immortal._

"It's us, man… it's us," Roman coached, trying to get him from thinking about the pain. He had lost enough soldiers to go through this again.

"They… they clipped my wings," Neville spoke dryly as he coughed more, blood clot coming up from his mouth. It was disgusting, but Roman, Dean, and Sami stayed by his side as the people watched, holding one another. Mothers shielded the eyes of their children as fathers held the mothers.

"It's okay… we'll get them fixed and you'll be flying out there in no time again," Sami enthused, trying to lie to himself more than he was to Neville. But as Adrian shook his head back and forth, Sami knew this wasn't something that could be rectified.

"No… I won't… The Demon… he said I have…" Neville bursted out in more coughing, blood coating his exposed chest, touching his purple robe and white embroidery stuck to his golden attire.

Sami closed his eyes, teeth coming down hard as he tried to remain composed. Roman and Dean stayed quiet, knowing they had to prepare for the worst.

"How long, Neville?" Sami asked, breaking their silence as he let his sad eyes fall onto him.

"An hour," he replied, making Dean look away. Roman merely kept his face impassive, being the one to have to be the bearer of bad news as he asked further. "When did he say this?"

"... Fifty seven minutes ago…"

Tears welled in Sami's eyes as he looked at Neville. They all saw it, the brand of the Authority burned into the skin of his shoulder. No one wanted to say anything of it, though. No one wanted to say a word about it because they would not let Neville's last thoughts be about those _damn_ leaders.

"It's okay, Adrian. It's okay… it's _okay_ ," Roman muttered, letting the man down onto the floor as he backed away. They had seen this death enough to back away really. They knew who did it. The Demon had the courtesy of telling Neville how long he had to live even after he did it… But it didn't take away the fact of the matter.

The three kneeled, paying their respects. Actually, everyone did. The crowd couldn't find it in themselves to stay standing. Not when another immortal had been taken by hands that had no right.

And just as they were expecting, as Astrid watched in horror, Adrian's jaw busted open. The blood flowed freely, seeping as his body went completely limp. The gruesome death made her cringe, stomach churning as she looked away.

Sami was the one who brought the robe over Adrian's head, not wanting the people to see his friend that way as he shook his own. They stayed that way for a while, just mourning silently before one person left. Then another. And another. And another.

When everyone was gone and all but Dean, Roman, Astrid, and Sami were left with Adrian's body, Sami turned to them, brows furrowed. His expression was upped in intensity as he nodded his head.

"I'm in. I'll see you at Mania in a year. That's a promise," he spoke clearly, moving past them to bring Adrian off the floor. They carried the body onto Roman's horse.

"Make sure he has a proper burial down in Death Valley. I'll be ready. If anything happens, try to contact me," he said with a final wave, moving down the stairs of his own establishment. Nothing had to be said, they all started on their horses, moving through the bazaars with chips on their shoulders.

Astrid understood why they had to go to Death Valley, but she was mortified at the idea of finding _him_ there. Yet as they trotted along, she didn't understand what this meet at Mania was all about. The land was constantly only visited by everyone once a year since it rained heavily and beautifully.

"What's going to happen at Mania?" She asked, voice quiet as she looked to Roman for an answer. He gave her none. It was a Centurion's way of respect in front of a comerade's body to be silent, so she couldn't blame him. Dean however had his own form of respect and with how he rasped his answer, it very much had to do with vengeance.

"We're going to take down the Authority."


	4. Death Valley

"For the last time, Death Valley is home of one of the most dangerous—"

"Do you ever shut the fuck up?" Dean snarled, turning his head in Astrid's direction as Roman shook his head.

"We understand how dangerous Death Valley is, Astrid. Trying to talk us out of it is, pardon me but, a very useless waste of time," Roman so eloquently put it.

Astrid crossed her arms at that, almost forgetting about the horse she was supposed to be leading. Just when she realized it, it bucked and took off, dropping her straight onto her back. She half expected Dean to laugh as she groaned, but he was off his horse in seconds, there by her side as he kneeled next to her. Roman pulled to stop his own horse looking at the two.

"Are you stupid?" Dean chastised, shaking his head as he brought his hand out for her to get up. Despite the pain that was collecting in her spine, she slapped the hand away and stood up by herself. She dusted herself off in the process.

"I didn't think that the fucking horse would run off," Astrid grumbled, looking at the galloping disappearing form.

"I think that you should start giving thinking a try, then," Dean replied, eyebrows furrowing inwards. He was more so pissed she rejected his offer to pull her up.

"That's coming from you," she squared her shoulders, refusing to back down.

Before either of them could get at each other's throats, Roman stood in between the two. Christ, he was a big man.

"Enough is enough. You two can't always be fighting at every single turn. We'll never be able to recruit anyone if we are not a cohesive unit," Roman proclaimed, causing Dean to roll his eyes. The lunatic stepped back, shoulders outstretching in the process as he brought his arms above his head.

"She's on the other side. We're holding her as goddamn prisoner. Cohesive unit is nonexistent here," Dean stated. He had a point. If the two didn't get along, it was mostly because of what Dean saw in Astrid's head. It made him sick to his stomach, making it difficult for him to show any string of kindness to the broad. Then again, Dean always had a difficulty showing anyone kindness.

"Make it existent. I've had it with you two fighting. Let's put it this way. Either you two get along…" he leaned down to look Astrid in the eye.

"Or we all die together."

Point clearly made, she groaned a "fine" and nodded her head. Dean didn't exactly agree, but his silence as he scoffed didn't mean that he as disagreeing either. Roman mounted his horse, ensuring that Adrian was still on the saddle the very same.

Dean got on his own horse next, patting the side of the neck, the vibrant rings forming at his coat.

"Wait… what about me?" She asked almost timorously, body facing Roman since she didn't want to risk another argument and end up pissing the Centurion off. Dean may not have cared, but she did.

"Seeing that my own transportation is a bit full, ride with Dean." The horse already took off, Roman taking the lead of the three. It looked like a black streak with the lining of part of Neville's cape flapping while Roman's hair poked out of his helmet.

"Yeah, ride Dean," Dean repeated, purposely leaving out a word as he smirked down at Astrid and the way her cheeks flushed. He couldn't tell what emotion struck through the crimson that coated her face, but he was guessing anger since she got onto the horse rather aggressively.

"Hey, hey, take it easy. Mitch doesn't like it rough like I do."

She was going to kill him if he kept on joking like that. Shifting where she sat, she tried to get comfortable on Mitch, but a loud neigh sounded from the horse.

"What the fuck did I just say? Seriously, take it easy. If he doesn't like you he'll—"

The words died on Dean's tongue since Mitch uplifted into the air, on hind legs as he kicked. A shriek left from Astrid, an extremely feminine one as her arms wrapped tightly around Dean's waist. Actually, her grasp went as far as hands gripping his chest, soft skin meeting the scratches that developed over time through the holes in his centuries old shirt. She held onto him for dear life until the two came back to level with the ground. Even then, she was still holding on tightly, eyes shut the very same.

".. You can let go now," Dean assured her, slight amusement in his voice as he looked to see a hand clutching his left pectoral.

Astrid's eyes slowly came open and when she saw they were on the ground, she realized exactly what she was doing. Her hands left from where they were, arms recoiling back as she scooted just a bit for some much needed distance.

"I saw you kill commoners in your memory, train with dragons for finishing your fancy immortal school, but you fear getting bucked off a horse again?" He laughed, head shaking back and forth.

"Shut the hell up," she quipped right back. It was almost abrupt how her sentence ended since Dean had Mitch running to catch up with Roman. It was so fast that she thought she would fall off again. Unconsciously, she held Dean again, legs closely to his own as they moved.

During the speed of the galloping, he stole a look behind, seeing how her smaller frame tried to mold into him. The warmth that came off of her was foreign to him. He wondered if Power plants were cold blooded. It wouldn't have made sense if they were since Astrid felt like fire on his back. Maybe it was simply the constant energy that was flowing throughout her. Maybe it wasn't.

Maybe it was just Astrid herself.

It made sense. She was an artificial immortal after all… it's just.. he didn't think she knew since he found out from her earliest memories. As scared as she was with eyes shut tight, there was a certain elegance to her features, a certain…

Fuck… he was getting carried away. Looking forward, he tried to forget about the thoughts trying to form. The problem was that Dean never forgot.

* * *

The air was cold to Astrid's skin when she came through. She hadn't realized that she fell asleep, but what awoke her was the chill. Her eyes had to adjust to the semi dark setting, barely able to see since the fog around was too thick, seeing and hearing that Mitch was trotting carefully. Slowly, she unbound herself from Dean, trying to make out of where in the hell they were as she strained her eyes harder. It was almost ghostly, and just like that, she gasped whenever she had a hunch about where they were in the belly of.

The gasp had been audible to Dean's ears, his head turning just for confirmation before it looked back forward.

"Someone's awake," his voice came out eerily quiet. His usual tone was loud and brash. Hearing the opposite came as a surprise to her.

"Where are we…?" There was a long pause as they kept moving, hooves making a soft noise as if they were hitting stone. She was tempted to ask again, but Dean spoke.

"I think you know."

Death Valley…

"It's cold here.. where's Roman?" Her voice had went down to a more quiet one. It had to have been the atmosphere's fault. Not because there was some kind of chemical in all the smoke, but because the setting called for it. This was a place of the dead. So many immortals lost that she had read about in history books. So many that she was sure Dean had watched die.

"Few yards ahead of us. I can see him."

Dean did have a better angle and vantage point to see Roman than Astrid did, so she merely trusted him, taking an oath of silence as they continued down the stone path. Fortunately, the fog cleared up as they entered the mouth of the graveyard, large cobblestone rocks surrounding the area. Roman and his stallion were halted, taking in the different details. The darkness hit at the ink on Roman's skin, highlighting the marks of a Centurion. He stepped from his horse, looking around once before he took Adrian's body into his arms. The purple robe still covered his face, covered the massacre that the Demon had bestowed upon the man gravity forgot. Inspecting, Roman searched for the correct statue, bringing Neville in front of such to lay there. He then got onto his knees, hands on his thighs as he stared almost blankly forward. Seconds passed until he bowed his head.. a form of respect.

Nothing left from Dean's mouth as he got off of Mitch, ignoring Astrid's existence entirely as he took a place to kneel. Just one knee, but his head was bowing just as Roman's was, as if they were waiting for something to happen. It was peculiar to see, and Astrid wondered if the horses would take off without anyone guiding them, but slowly, she descended off Mitch and got on both of her knees. Her hands rested in her lap, a shaky breath coming from her lips as she bowed her head, as awkward as she felt. A good minute passed of them with their heads bowed, Neville's body lifeless as the time she had watched him perish. For some reason, she was expecting some kind of resurrection, but she had to understand that even an immortal could be killed. An immortal was cursed with living forever, but that didn't mean that they were invincible. They weren't invulnerable to actions, may have been harder to defeat and wound, but it made it that much sadder that their life was fought for and taken.

Just when she thought they would be bowing forever, leaves began to pick up in the wind that she hadn't noticed before. Whistles made it clear that it was occurring around them. As cold as she felt, she didn't feel a gust of air hit her skin, but she could hear how it happened. Thunder hit loudly through the sky, lightning following suit to brighten where they were, but with the fog, she still was unable to see what else lied in Death Valley. Lightning hit the statue they were in front of, fire not forming, but it did manage to make Astrid's heart leap forcefully against her ribs.

Then everything went dark. Pitch black.

Her breath had never been so loud in her eardrums, pounding just like her heart currently was. Bells rang, and not bells that commoners enjoyed hanging at the door. Not trinkets nor some kind of bells that they would find in Sami's little shop. But loud gong kind of bells. She couldn't help it any longer, she stood to her feet and that's when everything came at once. The wind, the thunder, the lightning, the repeating darkness that looked as if they were standing in strobe lights. Rain began to fall, began to hit their skin like hail. The drops were almost sharp as knives and Roman and Dean stood tall, eyes widening as everything spiraled further out of control.

"What the fuck did you do?" Dean bellowed, having to have his voice gyrate above the storm brewing.

"I… I'm sorry," she exclaimed, voice emotional. Roman saw it all, shaking his head. Even he couldn't hide his anger.

"You were supposed to wait until he was buried.. now we have to face…" Roman's eyes shifting to the purple and black shadows forming a body, a deep dark tone hitting above like a boombox.

"Those who have entered Death Valley have disturbed the sleep of the Undertaker. Now you will perish."

Like slow motion, lightning cracked through the sky, things going gradually. Astrid looked up, ready to be hit, too much shock filling her veins to move.

Suddenly, she was on the floor, across from where the lightning hit. She blinked, a crushing weight on top of her, meeting cerulean blue eyes. The pressure was fleeting as he rose from her body, grabbing her hand to lift her to her feet.

Astrid didn't have time to question why Dean had saved her since they had to duck, roll, dodge to the best of their abilities. The Undertaker put everything to a halt, standing before them all as he went to a more humane size. He was still a tall man.

"We did not mean to disturb your sleep, Deadman…" Roman spoke, but he was silenced as Taker rose his hand. His steps were methodical as he approached Dean and Astrid.

Dean stepped in front of Astrid, shielding her with his body as he looked the Undertaker in the white, pupilless eyes.

"Dean Ambrose… move or be moved. I have not forgotten about what the Shield did to me."

Astrid saw how Dean twitched slightly at the name Shield, but he still didn't budge.

"She didn't know about the ritual. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for not warning her ahead of time. She's never buried anyone before," Dean spoke in her defense, shadows sparking around him. Astrid had seen these shadows before and she was wondering if Dean had any control of them.

Slowly, the Deadman moved to Adrian's body, tossing off the robe without a single care. He was unfazed by the sight before him, how busted the jaw had looked. It was almost hanging off the man's face. But Taker had been around long enough, seen enough tragedies to know exactly who did it.

"My brother killed an Immune man of gravity… let me guess… for the Authority." He didn't say it as a question. It was a statement. And it was one hundred percent correct.

"Adrian Neville was a good man. All we wanted to do was come and bury him so we could recruit an army," Roman responded, adjusting his helmet. Dean was tapping at his own mask, that crazy way of his as he looked back and forth between the Deadman and the Centurion.

"An army for what?" Now, the Undertaker looked at Roman away from the dead body. His head tilted, hat gloomily making his white eyes look fucking dark.

"We're planning on taking down the Authority. We need all the help that we can get come Mania in about a year," Roman finished, staring up. Taker's attention was truly captured as he had druids lift Neville away.

"I will come on that day. Because someone has to pay for her actions. I know she's apart of the Authority. The ripped sleeves do not hide anything." And with that, he disappeared after pitch blackness hit again, blinding them all for a moment.

Dumbfounded, they looked around the area, Roman slowly getting to his horse. Dean followed suit, not getting on Mitch yet as he watched Astrid.

She was staring at the statue in some kind of terrified awe. Nothing could tear her gaze away from it. Absolutely nothing.

He had to move to her, realizing she was in shock. He sat her in front of him, tucked to where his chest met her back as he got onto the horse. She never stopped looking at the statue. Even as they rode away with Dean's arms having to reach around her and use the ropes for leading.


	5. Joelle

_**Why does tragedy exist?**_

 _ **Because you are full of rage.**_

 _ **Why are you full of rage?**_

 _ **Because you are full of grief.**_

* * *

Since the incident took place with the Undertaker, the three hadn't been conversing much. A specific aura captured them, one shutting all their mouths. Astrid eventually snapped out of her dazed state, but she didn't bring herself to protest about how Dean was pressed up right behind her.

She kept quiet on the matter, staring forward at the flowing locks seeping out of Roman's helmet. Fortunately for them, the remnants of Death Valley disappeared in time and in a two days span, they were well on their way to the next destination. This troubled Astrid since she didn't know what was the next destination. All the years of studying maps and somehow she became distracted, not accounting for east, west, north, or south.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm hungry." It's almost ironic Astrid says this when a good friend of hers is Wade Barrett.

"I gotta' agree with you there. Think we can take a stop and get some shut eye, Rome?"

"We're almost there. There's no point in stopping now." Roman bellows without even taking a glance back at Dean. The air's thick with tension and Astrid's unaware of why it's reigning so high.

With how flat Dean's voice was, she could only guess it has to do with the next location. With how Dean doesn't muster a response back, she's positive it's a touchy area for the Centurion. Nonetheless, her head tilts to accommodate her eyes' exploration. Landing upon the sky, a smile graces her features at the bright blue being observed. It's a contrasting vision to the stony gray once observed in Death Valley. She's glad she's out of the area, sitting slightly straight. Her back touches further into Dean's chest, their positioning unaltered since their leave.

She looks at Dean because she feels that's the necessary thing to do. She almost wants to apologize for what was done, almost wants to thank him for saving her life.

Dean looks like he wants to say something, too. Nothing comes out when an arrow splices through the air and hits Roman's horse.

The thunderous neigh cuts through the air and the horse is moving at a faster speed. Dean gives Mitch the notion, and then he's racing off right behind Roman's speeding horse. Astrid doesn't have anything to hold onto except the horse's sides, hoping and praying they won't both be bucked off. It takes seconds and they're in a storm of arrows raining down into the ground. Roman is trying to block them off with the use of his shield and Dean's yelling unintelligible curses underneath his breath as he tries to navigate through. Another arrow hits and this time, it lodges into Roman's shoulder. He falls of his dark horse, grasping at the arrow sticking out.

Dean stops Mitch from traveling any further and he rushes off to aid Roman. It's then that Astrid uses this chance to look up at the sky.

The mechanical bird greets back in its wing span. At a certain angle, Astrid can see its red eye. They were being watched.

"Dean, move!" Roman bellows and pushes Dean away as another arrow pierces into his chest. Horror draws in Dean's eyes as he examines his best friend coughing blood. Looking at the sky, Dean shifts his shadows up with a point of his hand, the darkness shooting up and wrangling the bird. There's a muffled explosion, and then they're returning back to Dean, seeping into his skin.

He doesn't celebrate taking down the bird as he examines Roman, looking up at Astrid with pained eyes. Astrid has gotten off the horse, tears welling in her own at the sight. How had she gathered so much empathy in such a short amount of time?

"Take the arrows out," Dean spits out.

"If he got hurt in a major artery, it won't do any good—"

"Take the fucking arrows out!" Dean yells louder, and Astrid gulps down her fear. Energy begins to spill from her hands.

The energy travels to the two wounds, collecting underneath the arrowheads. With a wave of her hands, they slide out and Roman lets out a pained roar.

She does the same to the dark horse, but Dean's uncaring as he tries to keep Roman awake.

"I don't know if I can… it's getting dark, Dean…"

"Stop. You're going to be okay. We're always okay, remember?"

"But this time…"

"Damn it, Roman. You're the most stubborn guy I know. You didn't give up on me when knives were in my wrists, and I sure as hell am not giving up on you."

Astrid ran her fingers over the wound left behind on the horse. She never did ask what Roman named him, but now wasn't a good time to do so. Not with Roman dying on the floor while Dean tended to him. However, if a watchbird appeared, a medical bird wouldn't be too far away. This is how they captured immortals in the past. And while it was risky, it'd be better than letting Roman die.

Just like the devil, the bird appeared from the clouds, circling around Dean and Roman. Dean scowled, knowing how this all goes, shaking his head. Astrid moved away from the horse, falling to Roman's side.

"Come on, Dean. You know you want Roman to live. This might be the only way."

"Of course _you_ would say that. The Authority will get Roman and then keep him as prisoner."

"Even when I'm dying, you try to pick a fight," Roman coughs in between them, cautiously sitting up with some help from Dean.

"I'm not letting the fucking pterodactyl take you."

"Dean… you can do this. I believe in you. If I stay with you two, I might die before the real battle begins. If I stay… I could get the both of you killed. I'm a liability injured."

The giant bird landed with a ground shaking thud. Its wings flapping around. The plus sign on its side made it look all the more ridiculous.

Astrid reached out, touched the feathers along the bird. She used to help tame the creatures. Of all the things the authority did, they were the most gentle with these creatures. They deserved it since cruelty could have them eating their eyes out.

"Trust me," Astrid whispers, saying this as if it's supposed to mean something to Dean. He can't trust her. He can't.

But Roman comes first here.

With a _fuck_ coming off his lips, Dean assists Roman to his feet and then does most of the lifting in getting Roman onto the bird. Crimson stained part of the white feathers and it takes everything in Dean not to frown at the sight. Roman's blood across the medical bird's coat is the least of his worries. It's _where_ the bird is going that troubles him. With a pat at the side of its neck, the medical bird takes off, leaving Astrid and Dean.

Alone.

* * *

The silence between the two is overwhelming. Dean's on Roman's horse now, and Astrid is guiding Mitch. Her hand can't help but pet along Mitch's crest, dipping fingers into the soft hair. They glide over and over again, not a single knot to be found within, but she's not concerned with that. What she's concerned with is how Dean's not looking in her direction, he hasn't glanced once back to see if she could at least make an escape.

She knows better by now not to try it since he's harboring Roman's weapons. The chain that contains her energy is one of them. Any attempts would be futile.

With Dean, he's either brooding or seathing, or annoyingly entertained by her faults. There's no happy medium with him. There's no happy period.

She's miserable by the time they head into the next town. She doesn't recognize it, she can't exactly be bothered to do so. Instead, her eyes scan the area, noticing the numerous amount of men sporting the same tattoos Roman did. She's been staring at their intricate lines long enough to catch the similarities. They're much smaller, carbon copies of Roman, though. While their builds are impressive, they're obviously mortals. She hasn't seen a man with a short haircut throughout, all having them tied up or loosely flowing. Well, at least they're all overwhelmingly handsome. The odd thing is that none of them take a glance at either she or Dean.

A giggle flows from the side of her and it's childlike. Astrid pulls her gaze from Dean in front of her to see a little girl. Her skintone is like everyone else's, pale for mortals, but her eyes are glinting with a sparkle. She runs off and Astrid laughs herself, going after the little girl with the braids in her hair.

"Are you really trying to run in here?" Dean asks, but then he turns around to see the direction Mitch is running.

"No… no."

Realization hits Dean fast and he's chasing after Mitch on Roman's horse.

"Astrid! Stop! Astrid!"

All the familiar faces Dean has been trying to ignore all come as a blur and he closes his eyes. He trusts Roman's horse to lead him through since the faces might pull him in like they already pulled Astrid.

When Dean finds Astrid, they're in a stone secluded area, a throne like area is what she's staring at. Astrid steps off Mitch and is gazing at the area and Dean has to open his eyes. His heart thuds into his chest seeing the little girl interact with Astrid.

"Stop! How can you be this stupid?!"

Dean gets off the horse and runs to Astrid, pushing her away from the little girl. Dean has her by the throat, ready to scold her, but a rumble shakes the both of them. They slowly back away from one another, a simultaneous gulp occurring.

It's too late.

The ground beneath them begins to crack and there are rocks flying wildly throughout. The ground splits at their feet and Astrid and Dean are separated from one another at opposite ends of the split. Lava boils from underneath them, the little girl fading away in the process. Astrid looks at Dean, scared beyond belief, and she can see it in Dean's eyes that something is unnerving him.

Then lightning strikes at the stone throne and a man appears, a man made of a darker sediment… a man made of stone.

"You're…"

"Dwayne Johnson at your service. Or as everyone seems to know me these days, The Rock."

Dwayne Johnson had been a man who used to fight against the authority. Something behind closed doors and Dwayne was transformed into an immortal. Astrid didn't know what occurred. Some things in the history books were left blurred, leaving no explanations as to why anyone became artificially immortal or not.

"Hello there, beautiful. This guy over here giving you trouble?" Dwayne said as he walked over to Astrid. His eyes were glowing blue and Dean crossed his arms from where he stood.

"He always used to do that. Hell, he's the reason I look like _this_." Dwayne gestured to himself, wrapping an arm around Astrid's shoulders.

"Oh, still holding a grudge, I see. It's not like we were brain washed or anything," Dean barked right back.

"You try and watch a family member stab you in the back. Where is the asshole, by the way? Is he around? I mean, I see Joelle, but not Roman."

Joelle?

"You don't know the shit I've been through, but I couldn't care less about what you think," Dean got onto Roman's horse and then made the leap over to the other side, unfazed by how he could've fell into scorching hot lava in the abyss.

"Roman Reigns was captured earlier after an attack on a watchbird. A medical bird flew him out," Astrid said.

Dean looked damn near close to explosion as his eyebrows creased inwards.

"Captured? That doesn't make sense. He used to be the one wrangling up—"

"Like I said before, you don't know shit I've been through. That includes Roman," Dean cut off Dwayne.

"Take a look around, Ambrose. Don't you think I know what _Roman's_ been through? You have the audacity to ride Joelle, too? Who's the real ignorant asshole?"

There's a stiffening silence and Astrid looks at Roman's horse. She previously assumed the horse to be a boy, but now she's looking at it differently and she _knows_ it's a girl.

"I wasn't going to let _her,"_ he points at Astrid, "ride Joelle."

Dwayne takes a good lasting look at Astrid and he smiles this charming thing. Astrid can't help but smile back, notes how his teeth shine through. How can a man made of rock be so attractive? She's cheesing over a damn statue.

"I don't know, Dean. She looks like an excellent rider," Dwayne said with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows. Dean scoffed after hearing that. Astrid felt some kind of power from it because Dean had made the same joke days before and now that Dwayne did it, Dean's demeanor was almost annoyed.

"You know what they say about stones. They never go soft."

And that's where Dean stepped in between the two and looked Dwayne in the eyes.

"Woah… Ambrose, what the fuck did they do to you? I always thought you needed a muzzle, but this mask is ridiculous."

Dean rolls his eyes at this and he keeps his arms crossed against his own broad chest. "It's a long story. Look, the broad behind me accidentally followed one of the aberrations and led to this impromptu reunion. I don't care how you've been doing and I certainly don't give a damn about whether you're okay or not. Since Roman got captured, I decided to avoid you entirely, but now that we're here, I have a preposition."

Dwayne's said shoulders slacked slightly, a hand coming up to his chin.

"Go on."

"We're recruiting immortals for the biggest ass kicking fiesta known to mankind. In about a year from today, at Mania, we're taking down the Authority. Either you're in, or you're out. Doesn't hurt to get as much people as possible."

"This is surprising. _You_ and Roman were recruiting immortals? That doesn't make any sense. Is this some kind of trap?" Dwayne cautiously eyes Dean, regards him with deliberation.

"It's not. A lot of shit has happened, Dwayne… Let's just say that I do know what it's like to watch a family member stab you in the back. The Authority has to be stopped. I know you don't trust me, and I know you're iffy on Roman, but do it for Joelle at least…"

And with that, Dean got onto Roman's horse, Joelle, and rode off. Dwayne sighed loudly into the air, sinking into his throne. Astrid slid onto Mitch, and looked back at Dwayne as her heart pulsed weakly in connecting pieces.

"Roman Reigns had a daughter in the history books," she uttered slowly. Dwayne nodded his head, closing his eyes.

She felt the sense of the faces that she saw, the relations to Roman setting in. Her eyes shut in pain for Roman and she left from the area, catching up with Dean. When she managed to, she spoke softly, not wanting to tread on any lines.

"That was a Ghost town, wasn't it?" She asked.

"Roman couldn't save them. Since he's a Centurion, the last of his kind, he's destined to live with the painful reminders of their ghosts until he redeems himself. Dwayne guards the town and tries to trap Authority members with Joelle's ghost."

"She was Roman's daughter, wasn't she?"

Dean doesn't say anything. He just keeps going. He knows Astrid already knows the answer.

* * *

Roman's hands are hanging out of his cell, his hair loosely falling in strands in front of his face. He presses his forehead into the steel bar, sighs deeply as he looks at his skeleton cell mate. It's not exactly reassuring, but he has faith Dean will follow through with the plan. If everything goes as it's supposed to, Mania will be there soon for Roman to break out and fight alongside Dean. Until then, he'd have to make due with whatever they fed him.

A familiar laugh resounds throughout the dungeon and Roman's hands tighten into fists. He knows that laugh anywhere.

Hunter and Seth Rollins step through into the area. Seth… doesn't look like Seth used to. He's made most of robotic body parts, blinking lights about his frame.

Seth steps forward towards Roman, looks him dead in the eyes as he chooses his words carefully.

"Welcome back, brother. Like the new look?"

"It suits you. I would've gone with puppet wood, but mindless robot works, too," Roman snapped back. Seth laughed and then took a step back with Hunter at the side of him.

"I told you he'd be happy to see me," Seth left from the room and Hunter cleared his throat reaching for his notes.

"I haven't used this in a while, but couldn't hurt to try, right?" The skull king cleared his throat as he began to speak.

"Aiga."

Roman stood away from the bars, and he brought his hands to his ears.

"Toa."

"Stop…"

"E valusefulu lima."

"Hunter, I'm warning you," Roman growled, falling down to his knees.

"Dawn."

Roman's hands were tightening in his hair. The flash of memory struck through, the morning sun nowhere to be found.

"Escutcheon."

He saw his shield, how he raised it in the battle.

"Iva."

"Stop!"

"Filemu."

 _Say something, Daddy…_

"Poloaiga."

Roman trembled as he closed his eyes.

"Tasi."

"Hunter…"

"Tao."

The spearhead as it hit his daughter was the last thing he saw before he stood straight, looked Hunter in the eye, and then spoke in a calm voice.

"Ready to comply."

* * *

 **I know, if you saw Civil War, you know exactly where I pulled that final part. Lemme know what you think and what immortals you would like to start seeing intertwined into the story!**


End file.
